NFC Championship Game: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

NFL Betting Favorites you Should Not Let Pass on Week 7

Will Carson Wentz ‘school’ Cam Newton on how to play quarterback when he and his band of merry Philadelphia Eagles teammates host Newton and the Carolina Panthers in their intriguing Week 7 NFC clash?

Can Kirk Cousin and the Minnesota Vikings avoid the upset loss when they take on Sam Darnold and a New York Jets team that has been highly impressive in each of their last two games?

Last but not least, can Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears overcome their crushing Week 6 road loss to stop Tom Brady and a New England Patriots team that is playing well right now after some early-season struggles?

Let’s find out the answer to all three questions in this week’s look at NFL betting favorites you shouldn’t let pass.

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles

Game Information

I don’t see a whole lot of sense in beating around the bush with my Week 7 pick on this matchup. Carolina let me down in a big way in their uninspiring 23-17 road loss against a Washington Redskins team that got completely dominated by the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints 43-19 one week prior. Cam Newton threw one interception and D.J. Moore had two fumbles, but the worst part for me is that Newton again led the team in rushing with 43 yards on nine carries. I don’t understand why, but Carolina continues to fail to use super-gifted running back Christian McCaffrey properly on consistently. He finished with just eight carries for 20 yards and seven receptions against Washington.

Combine Carolina’s lackluster and rudderless offense with the fact that Philadelphia is coming off its best game of the season in smacking the Giants around 34-13 on the road in Week 6 and it’s easy to see why I like the Birds to win and cover the chalk. Philly is well-rested after getting a ‘mini–bye’ following their Thursday night contest, plus Carson Wentz is looking increasingly like the MVP-caliber player he was last season prior to getting injured. The Panthers foolishly misused Christian McCaffrey as a rookie last season and head coach Ron Rivera is back at it again, letting Cam Newton do way too much.

The Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 2-4 ATS in their lasts ix road dates against Philadelphia. Conversely, the Eagles are 13-2 SU in their last 15 home games and 8-4 ATS in their last 12 home games. I’m not very fond of the spread in this one, but I’m going to urge you to back the Birds to cover the chalk!

Game Information

The Jets and rookie quarterback Sam Darnold have been super impressive in winning two straight games by taking out Denver 34-16 in Week 5 and then beating Indianapolis 42-34 this past weekend.

However, Minnesota has also looked a lot better the last two games than they did early on, particularly on defense where they led the league in fewest points allowed a year ago. The Vikings took out Philadelphia 23-21 two weeks ago and backed that up with a solid 27-17 win over Arizona this past weekend.

While I’m certainly not expecting New York to just roll over against Minnesota and I realize the Jets have the slight statistical edge in both, scoring and points allowed, this is a game I just don’t see the Vikings losing because of experience and the fact that their defense is starting to heat up.

Forget the fact that Minnesota is an uninspiring 2-3-1 ATS in its last six road games and just 2-4 ATS in their last six meetings against the Jets. Minnesota is semi-desperate to keep winning and the Jets are about ‘due’ for a loss if you ask me. Besides, the Vikings have gone 15-4-1 SU in their last 20 games while New York is 5-12 SU in its last 17. Minnesota wins and cashes in.

Predicted Score: Vikings 31 Jets 17

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears

Game Information

There’s no doubt that Chicago has been one of the most impressive teams in the first half of the season so far, but I certainly don’t have a whole lot of faith in the Bears heading into their Week 7 home date after watching them – and New England – this past weekend. While Chicago completely collapsed in their 31-28 overtime loss against Miami after being up 21-10 in the third quarter, New England had to dig deep to find some extra fortitude to fend off explosive Kansas City to pick up a thrilling 43-40 win over the Chiefs on Sunday night.

While Chicago is undoubtedly better than they were a year ago and are heading in the right direction under first-year head coach Matt Nagy and second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, they’re not quite ready to take down Tom Brady and a New England Patriots team that looks like it’s ready to extend its winning ways after winning their last three games.

The Pats are an incendiary 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games, an even more impressive 16-3 SU in their last 19 road games. New England is also a nearly perfect 7-1 SU in their last eight games against the Bears while Chicago has lost 15 of its last 23 home games. I wouldn’t think twice about it. New England wins and covers the chalk with room to spare!